'Quiet Mayweather' Picks Manny Pacquiao to Defeat Bradley

Jeff Mayweather, a former top contender during the 1990s and uncle of the current WBC Welterweight Champion, doesn't give much credence to Timothy Bradley's assertion that "Desert Storm" will beat Manny Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KO) when they face off June 9th.

"At the end of the day, that's nothing but words," Mayweather said.

"The fights go on in the ring. There's never going to be one guy who says he going to lose. So, I mean, that's just talk."

Jeff Mayweather is respectful of Pacquiao's foe as a fighter but believes the undefeated Californian lacks power which, according to Jeff, may ultimately lead to his demise.

"I don't think that he (Bradley) has the punching power to prevail. That might be the reason why he doesn't win."

Bradley's perceived lack of knockout power is evident in his less-than-spectacular 41% knockout-to-fights ratio but, in his defense, he often manages to hurt opponents with an accumulation of sharp, accurate punches. During his most recent fight, Tim Bradley (28-0-1, 12 KO) dropped Joel Casamayor (then 38-5-1, 22 KO) three times; once in each of the fifth and sixth rounds and again in the eighth and final round. The bout was stopped shortly after the third knockdown.

Tim Bradley also staggered Lamont Peterson in the opening two stanza before flooring him in Round 3 en route to a comfortable decision win. Also, despite going the distance in a lopsided points win against Manuel Garnica (then 23-6-0) in 2007, Bradley registered three knockdowns; one in the second round and two in the fourth.

The overhand right Bradley landed to floor Junior Witter in the sixth round of his title-taking performance in 2008 may have been Bradley's most significant punch to date as it won him a razor-thin split decision. Had he not earned the knockdown the bout would have ended in a draw, according to the scorecards.

Tim Bradley doesn't possess the devastating power and explosiveness of Manny Pacquiao but nearly all of his opponents have been floored or badly hurt by him. So while he's unlikely to knockout an opponent with one or two shots, he's well-capable of generating knockdown and inflicting damage.

Will Tim Bradley be able to hurt Manny Pacquiao on June 9th and will Bradley's counter-punching cause Pac Man to struggle the same way he did against Juan Manuel Marquez last November?

"Marquez just has his (Pacquiao's) number. (But) Tim Bradley is a totally different fighter than Marquez. It's not like you're going to be seeing Marquez in there. You're going to be seeing Tim Bradley, a guy who's really not as polished as Marquez."

Mayweather, however, agrees with Team Bradley's assertion that Manny Pacquiao is under added pressure these days.

"Each time out if he doesn't look good, the light gets dimmer and dimmer (for a fight with Floyd Mayweather). Of course, he (Pacquiao) needs a spectacular performance."

Is Tim Bradley boxing's next big star? The answer remains to be seen but the former jr welterweight champion may have caught the attention of Team Mayweather. When recently asked for his thoughts on Tim Bradley, Floyd Mayweather quipped, "He's a good little fighter." Ironically, Floyd said the same thing, almost verbatim, about Manny Pacquiao a year ago.

About Jeff MayweatherDubbed "Jazzy Jeff" in his fighting days, Mayweather earned a respectable record of 32-10-5, 10 KO, winning a minor world title and defending it twice. On March 13, 1993, Jeff Mayweather lost to a young Oscar de la Hoya via a 4th Round TKO.

After his career in boxing, Jeff followed in the footsteps of his brothers and became a trainer. Known as the "Quiet Mayweather," Jeff has trained several champions including Sultan Ibragimov and Celestino Caballero.